General Course Syllabus
12th Grade English 2022-2023
Instructor: Asal Meyer (Ms. M.) she , her, hers
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 9:00AM - 9:30AM *appointments encouraged and appreciated
Essential Question
How do we begin to interpret meaning in our individual lives through the discipline of literature and composition?
Course Description
This course is designed to lay the foundations of literary studies as a reader and writer. This course will be taught with the rigor, style, and expectations of a college-level course. Students will become familiar with the major literature of the modern world through the study of various literary genres including fiction, prose, drama, and poetry. Ultimately, through the integration of literature, philosophy, and theory students will work to develop strong critical and integrative thinking skills.
Grading & Grading Scale
45% Class Work & Discussion
35% In-Class Essays & Assessments
20% Participation & Motivation
Grading Scale : A 100%-90%, B 89%-80%, C 79 -70%, 69% & Below Not Passing
Course Preparation & Organization
Students will need to come prepared to class every day having done the necessary reading and writing assigned. If there is a need for support with classroom supplies, including texts, please communicate with Ms. M. as soon as possible.
Course Expectations
Course Readings
Over the course of the academic year, we will be reading four texts as a whole class:
Honors Coursework
Honors coursework is supplemental to the expected classwork of 12th grade English and expands on the rigor and depth of the established curriculum. Honors coursework is a semester-long commitment and students must be prepared to follow through with the expected work. Please let Ms. M. know if you are interested in signing an Honors Contract.
Honors Coursework Expectations
Course Procedures and Expectations
Instructor: Asal Meyer (Ms. M.) she , her, hers
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 9:00AM - 9:30AM *appointments encouraged and appreciated
Essential Question
How do we begin to interpret meaning in our individual lives through the discipline of literature and composition?
Course Description
This course is designed to lay the foundations of literary studies as a reader and writer. This course will be taught with the rigor, style, and expectations of a college-level course. Students will become familiar with the major literature of the modern world through the study of various literary genres including fiction, prose, drama, and poetry. Ultimately, through the integration of literature, philosophy, and theory students will work to develop strong critical and integrative thinking skills.
Grading & Grading Scale
45% Class Work & Discussion
35% In-Class Essays & Assessments
20% Participation & Motivation
Grading Scale : A 100%-90%, B 89%-80%, C 79 -70%, 69% & Below Not Passing
Course Preparation & Organization
Students will need to come prepared to class every day having done the necessary reading and writing assigned. If there is a need for support with classroom supplies, including texts, please communicate with Ms. M. as soon as possible.
Course Expectations
- Reading - There will be multiple reading assignments assigned EVERY week, and reading will be a daily task. Each student will be held responsible for completing every week’s reading assignment. Reading assignments will consist of the assigned reading and reader-response assignment. Assigned readings will be posted to corresponding Google Classrooms portals and the course Digital Portfolio (DP).
- Lectures and Class Discussions – There will be lectures regularly in class. Students should always come prepared to take complete notes and participate in whole class and small group discussions. Slides will be available prior to class for previewing.
- In-Class Essays and Assessments – At the end of each text read, there will be either an in-class essay or other form of assessment. These essays and assessments will give students the ability to demonstrate and express understanding and analysis of class texts.
Course Readings
Over the course of the academic year, we will be reading four texts as a whole class:
- Dr. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning [MSFM] (Fall 2022)
- William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Fall 2022)
- Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo (Spring 2023)
- Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (Spring 2023)
Honors Coursework
Honors coursework is supplemental to the expected classwork of 12th grade English and expands on the rigor and depth of the established curriculum. Honors coursework is a semester-long commitment and students must be prepared to follow through with the expected work. Please let Ms. M. know if you are interested in signing an Honors Contract.
Honors Coursework Expectations
- Honors Short Form Assessment Questions - Each unit assessment will include one additional short form question in relation to the Honors reading.
- Honors Meetings – Every honor student will be required to attend mandatory honors meetings for every unit. Our honors meetings will be held during school hours. Dates will be scheduled throughout the semester and are subject to change.
- Honors Independent Literary Research Assignments - Honors students will be asked to complete three independent research assignments.
- Research Topics and Due Dates
- Literary Research Assignment 1 - Please choose an author that is not of American origin (DUE MON. 10/17).
- Literary Research Assignment 2 - Please choose an author of color (DUE WED. 02/13).
- Literary Research Assignment 3 - Please choose a female-identifying author (DUE MON. 04/17).
- For each Honors Literary Research Assignment, students can choose to share their learning about this author through one of the following options:
- Comparative Essay - Please compare and contrast the work of this author to one of the authors we have read in class. Your essay will need to be MLA format, include a Works Cited page with listed resources, and a minimum of two pages.
- Inspired Writing Piece - Please write an original piece inspired by this author’s style. Your piece will need to be a minimum of 500 words including a Works Cited Page with listed research sources.
- Creative Writing Piece - Please write an original creative writing piece that reflects an element of this author’s biography (formative years, education, professional career, personal life, published works, etc.). Your piece will need to be a minimum of 500 words including a Works Cited Page with listed research sources.
- Research Topics and Due Dates
Course Procedures and Expectations
- Classroom Culture - Students will show compassion, respect, and consideration for fellow students, Ms. M., and any guests in the classroom at all times. Any disregard for any of the above-mentioned qualities will not be tolerated.
- Food, Drink, and Gum - No food is to be eaten in class and water is the only acceptable beverage. No gum, please.
- Cellphones (Per the language of the HTH Student Handbook) - Personal electronics: Cell phones, iPads, Smartwatches, and all similar electronic devices must be off, stored away, out of sight, and not in use during school hours, unless under the direct supervision of a HTH faculty member. If it has an on or off switch, it should be turned off for the duration of the school day. Headphones and earbuds may be used only when provided by and under the supervision of an HTH faculty member.
- Headphones (earbuds, AirPods, etc.) -Headphones (earbuds, AirPods, etc.) can only be used for independent work time.
- Late Work - Assignments must be completed by the date due. In case of an emergency or illness, accommodations can be made.
- Attendance & Tardies - Due to the project based nature of HTHNC, attendance every day is critical. Students are expected to be in class on time every day. Students with excessive absences put their position at the school in jeopardy. Class begins each day at 9:35am. Students with excessive tardies, and their family, will meet with the Dean of Students to discuss the nature of the absences as well as create and agree to an attendance contract. Each teacher also maintains their own classroom attendance policy.
- Academic Integrity (Per the language of the HTH Student Handbook) - Code of Academic - Integrity HTH students are mindful of the values underlying an honest and true education, and the challenges posed by a continuously evolving world and, in particular, the immediate access to resources found on the Internet. HTH students agree to accept personal responsibility for honorable behavior in all of their academic endeavors, to assist one another in maintaining and promoting personal integrity and ethical standards, and to follow the principles and standards set forth in this Code of Academic Integrity. Violations of the Code of Academic Integrity may take several forms. Plagiarism and cheating are two examples of violations of the Code of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism is typically described as duplication of another’s work without full acknowledgement of the debt to the original source, however, it also includes any of the following:
- Direct duplication by copying (or allowing to be copied) another’s work, whether from a book, article, Web site, another student’s assignment, etc.;
- Duplication in any manner of another’s work during an exam;
- Paraphrasing of another’s work closely, with minor changes but with the essential meaning, form and/or progression of ideas maintained;
- Piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole;
- Submitting one’s own work which has already been submitted for assessment purposes in another subject; and/or,
- Producing assignments in conjunction with other people (e.g. another student, tutor), which should be your own independent work.